Elite Paintball Guns

So the Quantum is pretty much the disappointment in the Viewloader family. The thingy comes cheap – around $30 – but sometimes cheap is so not enough to attract people to get it. So when it comes to performance the Quantum is a full disappointment. First of it feeds the miserable 8bps (for a $30 loader that’s a miserable speed), then it holds only about 140 balls (on the positive side that does make it light and small, but still), it’s also very loud and jams are something you have to get used to. On the bright side – it is one strongly made loader (even the lid). So if you’re not totally disappointed by now here are the features for it and I’ll try again later:

“Viewloader introduces the all new VL Quantum electronic agitating feed loader. This 140 count electronic loader designed for the intermediate player features a spring-loaded flip cap lid, one touch operation, a feed rate up to 8 balls per second, and a high impact resistant shell. The new VL Quantum loader requires one 9 volt battery.”

The thingy uses batteries like crazy (nothing new here) and is really not the simplest thing to clean. You’ll be doing yourself a favor if you just save your money for something better. Or spend a little bit more and get a decent Viewloader loader. The Quantum is absolutely not worth that $30 and you’ll be the only one to blame if you decide to get it after you’ve read this review.

So if you’re not too keen on the egg shape of the other Viewloader loaders this may be the solution for you. The Eye-Force not only looks different it also differs in performance – both in a good and in a bad way. The thing is capable of holding about 200 balls which is pretty good for most of the players. It’s also capable of feeding the advertised 20 bps. What’s different is that jams are not excluded. With the previous two loaders reviewed jams were not something to worry about, but here it’s a different situation. Fortunately you have the Auto Anti-Jam which does serve its purpose. The thing is somewhat quieter from the eVLution versions, but at the same time heavier than them. So here are the given specifications:
•    Eye activated force feed comes on only when marker is fired
•    20 BPS on marker feed rate
•    2 piece body design for easy cleaning and battery replacement
•    3 blade spring loaded force feed paddle
•    200 ball capacity
•    Instant Auto Anti-Jam
•    LED low battery indicator
•    Double vision system quickly recognizes dark or black shell paintballs as well as light shells
•    Two 9 volt batteries
The downsides of this loader start with the lid (it’s always the lid). People find it way too fragile and unreliable. It’s also a battery hog (just like the eVLutions), but that’s about all the downsides I can point out. It’s a great loader to have if you ask me. And for the price of around $75 you get amazing performance and great reliability. I can’t really say whether to go for the eVLutions or the Eye-force – they’re all good. Guess it’s all about how you feel for the shape. It’s up to you.

The last of the Ricochet series is the Ricochet 2K. The thing is somewhat a good hopper and if you’re running a semi marker, this is the loader for you. It’s capable of around 12 bps which is pretty much the rate of all the Ricochets reviewed. It has the same design and we already commented that it does work sometimes and actually reflects a ball or two. What we have here that’s different is the LCD screen with the ball counter and timer function. It’s a feature half the players like and others just don’t pay attention to. Anyway here’s the manufacturer’s given information:

“The Ricochet-2k agitates with each ball fired, never leaving you without a ball to shoot! The Ricochet-2k operates on one 9 volt battery, and averages about 5000 shots for the battery life. This makes the Ricochet-2k one of the most economical paintball hopper’s on the market today.”

So about the ball counter and timer…people complain that the counter is not dead accurate, but it still does the job and if you’re a beginner it may really help you, at least till you learn to tell how many shots you’ve done. The timer is not something everybody needs, but still is a good feature. The battery life of the hopper is pretty good, but the LCD screen does affect it and you’ll definitely get a longer battery life with the AK for instance. The price can vary depending on the place you’re getting it. It can be as low as $60 and as high as $110, so it’s better if you check here and there before you go and buy it. If you do decide to get it though I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed of it. It’s a good hopper for a fair amount of money.

The G2K is a gravity fed hopper, but one that people like very much. It is very strongly made and although it doesn’t look awesome (that’s my own personal opinion) at least it does the work it’s supposed to.  It too have the specific Ricochet shape and although it’s not always of a help there are those times that you may have one or two balls deflected. Since it is gravity fed you can’t really expect the thing to be fast. It manages to get some 6-7 bps, but you can’t really expect more. Jams do occur sometimes, so keep that in mind, too. Here are the features:
•    Heavy duty polycarbon construction
•    No spill top loading lid
•    Adjustable O-Ring neck
•    Patented deflection engineering
•    180 ball capacity
About the capacity…the thing really can hold the mentioned above 180 balls, but it’s not exactly recommendable to fill it up all the way. If you do the jamming problem increases dramatically. 130-140 balls will the most reasonable number if you really want a smoother game. Other than that the thing works just fine. You can get it for about $10 and I really have to say that of all the gravity fed hoppers out there this definitely makes it to the top three. Try it out and see for yourself. Even if you don’t like it it’s not like you’ve lost 100 bucks.

So the Ricochet AK UV is pretty much the same gun like the Ricochet AK only made especially for “glow in the dark” paintballs. It’s the same situation as the Empire Reloader B and the Reloader B Night Loader, just this time the guns differ a little it of each other. Don’t get me wrong, this is the same hopper, the only difference with the normal AK version is that it lacks the agitator. The thing works great and makes those night games even more interesting. Here’s what the manufacturer has to say about it:

“A chrome plated hopper with Ultra Violet LEDs inside to energize Glow-In-The-Dark paintballs. The LED apparatus takes the place of the agitator. There is no agitator in this hopper. Uses one 9V battery to power the LEDs.”

If you like the Ricochet AK as a hopper and are a night games fan, you’ll be charmed by the AK UV. Sure it possesses not only the good things, but also the bad ones, but really is something that deserves at least trying. You can get if for about $40 which is not that bad at all. Keep in mind that there are not too many loaders for night games on the market right now. And I’m sure not too many people can afford something like the Empire Night Loader that costs around $170. In cases like that the Ricochet AK UV can be exactly what you need.

We’ll go through the most popular Ricochet loaders available starting with the Ricochet AK. The AK loader is actually very efficient for what it is, as it feeds around 12 a second with a small +/- variable. It works only off of a 9 volt which makes it lighter than he other loaders of the same price. This hopper is pretty tough made and most people describe it as indestructible. Probably the best thing in it is that it uses flexible weedwacker paddles to move the balls. This is a good feature, because if there is a blockage, the paddles can bend with the balls and wont break them. Another specific thing is its shape. In my opinion it’s kinda ugly looking, but there’s a reason for that. It’s made this way so it can deflect hits. That’s not really the case though as the paint still breaks on it when hit. Still from time to time you can get a ball or two deflected. Here is the full list of features:

•    one button operation
•    low battery light
•    view window
•    deflection engineering
•    one way ball travel
•    12 BPS
•    agitates with every ball fired
•    one 9 volt battery
•    open lid lock.

It’s a good thing that the loader has an indicator light that tells you your battery is getting low. The battery life of the loader is about 5000 round which is not too bad for a single 9 v battery. We have to make a note that the newer Ricochets require you to sand down the neck to fit your marker. Be careful with that as it is possible to over sand it. What people don’t like about it is the lid position. Once you get used to loading it from the top, though you won’t have problems with it.  The capacity of the loader is about 170 balls and many people find that quantity insufficient. I think capacity of 170 balls is pretty good. Also keep in mind that less amount of paint reduces the weight, too. The AK is one pretty affordable loader. It costs around $45 which for the performance you’re getting is really nice price.